I am here because I represent a pressure group that was formed in response to the BBC’s “Panorama” programme that exposed puppy farmers. I am privileged to have had dogs of varying sizes and breeds as part of my family all my life, and the horrors that I saw on that programme spurred me on to be a voice for those defenceless creatures.
As a nation, we welcome dogs into our homes. They become family members and we trust our children with them. They are domestic animals, not commercially bred farm animals for the food chain. There is a reason for that. They say that all dogs are 99 per cent wolf; if I know anything about wolves it is that they are strong family animals that create a family structure and socialise and engage with one another.
A puppy from a puppy farm never has that opportunity. It is bred in isolation from human contact and its mother never has the time to instil in that baby its place in the pack before it is whipped away from her and she is returned to the living hell that she endures. The pup is then sold on—usually far too young and having had no socialisation, and very often into a family with children. Apart from the hell that the pup might suffer through illness and so on, it is then in a position of trust in a family. With no idea how to behave, the animal can become a burden on the family, which may have to pay heavy vet fees. It might get cross with children and then, if it is lucky, end up in a rescue centre.
It is obvious that there is no easy way to deal with puppy farmers or the puppy dealers that form the other part of the equation. When I ask the Scottish Government to look at irresponsible breeding, I am asking it to investigate what actions could be taken to put a robust licensing system in place, and to look at the rules around licensed breeders. How do we know what they are breeding? How do we decide how many breeding bitches they should have? How do we control how many litters each bitch has? What is to prevent the bitch from being injected with hormones to bring her straight back into season after the litter that she has been feeding has been taken away from her? What could be put in place to stop the cruelty? How is best practice addressed? What about the rescue centres that some of the pups end up in? How do we license them?
Yesterday, on Facebook, a litter in Kirkcudbright was advertised on a site called “Dumfries and Galloway Pets for Sale”. They are cockapugs—a cross between a cocker spaniel and a pug—priced at £500 each and there are eight puppies, which adds up to a nice £4,000, thank you. When I suggested to the sellers that the money would be handy for the summer holidays, they blocked me—surprise, surprise. Those two breeds have serious genetic faults. Apart from the cruelty involved in their breeding, think of the possible vet bills for families. Will those puppies end up in rescue situations, too?
How could the Government enlist the help of the experts—the Kennel Club—to stop such cross-breeding? How can we make vets take some responsibility for monitoring the situation? I tackled another woman about a cockapoo, which is a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle. She told me that it was well bred because it was a filial 1—F1—hybrid, but I do a bit of gardening and the F1s that I come across are usually cucumber plants. That highlights the huge problem of the back-street breeders who are out to make money from a few litters every year.
Going back to healthy breeding, what actions could the Government take to ensure that only fit and proper persons are granted licences? What conditions could be attached to licences to ensure best practice, and who will police the system? Should it be compulsory for breeds that have known genetic faults to undergo screening before they are allowed to breed?
In Dumfries and Galloway, we have formed a great relationship with trading standards and, with the SSPCA, some great and groundbreaking work is being carried out. I am sure that any questions that members have about that work will be answered fully by Mark Rafferty, who is from the SSPCA. That is not the case all over Scotland, though. What thought could be given to ensuring that all councils behave in the same way? There is no use in there being law or best practice in Dumfries and Galloway if the same rules do not apply in all 32 local authorities.
Other issues around licensing, including microchipping, should be considered. What information should a microchip contain? Should it be a direct line to the breeder? Should the microchip contain health reports and information on lineage? Who should be allowed to microchip and what database should the information go on? At the moment, anyone can take a course in microchipping, and there seems to be no regulation regarding where the information is stored. On the same Facebook site that I spoke about earlier—the joys of social media—a woman offers cheap chipping. What is the value of chipping if it is unregulated?
I now come to illegal importation of dogs. We are seeing farmed puppies coming in through the ferry ports. The sellers say that they are coming from Northern Ireland when, in fact, they are coming from the Republic of Ireland. How will the Scottish Government deal with that? What actions will it take? A pup from the Republic of Ireland has to carry a pet passport, be microchipped and be inoculated against rabies. In addition, because of the inoculation situation, pups cannot travel legally until they are 15 weeks old. Apart from having to be microchipped, a pup from Northern Ireland does not face any of those restrictions. How will that illegal importation be stopped?
We have been working closely with our opposite numbers in Ulster and in the Republic of Ireland, and I am sure that Mark Rafferty will answer questions about the success of operation Delphin. Puppies are big business: we know that organised crime sees them as a great money-making venture, and those people have no worries about animal welfare, so all efforts to disrupt the importation of the pups are difficult. In fact, we have been hearing lately about various ways other than ferries that they are brought into the country, as the puppy dealers try to beat the system.
Lastly, I will address the issue of education. Until we cut off the demand for puppies, there will always be some people who are willing to risk anything for the large rewards. How will the Scottish Government address education? Should there be a media campaign? Should there be a long-term campaign through the schools? Research is being carried out into the psychology that is involved in buying a pup; that work will provide solutions for the Government to consider as it seeks to educate people on how to buy a puppy. People should make sure that they see the pup’s mum and should not meet the seller in a car park somewhere—the list goes on and on. What resources would be needed to carry out an education programme, and should it be included in the school curriculum?
In my opinion, the way forward for the long term has to be through education, a co-ordinated nationwide approach to registration of appropriate breeders and the introduction of enforceable legislation to ensure that that happens.
Thank you for your time. I am happy to answer any questions. I am sure that you will have plenty for Mark Rafferty.